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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28029984">A Night Out</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Facialteeth/pseuds/Noteventhat'>Noteventhat (Facialteeth)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shadowhunters (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Drinking, Drunk Alec Lightwood, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Good Boyfriend Alec Lightwood, Good Boyfriend Magnus Bane, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Malec Secret Santa 2020, Pre-wedding fluff, Recovering Alcoholic Magnus Bane, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Vomiting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:14:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,130</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28029984</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Facialteeth/pseuds/Noteventhat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Determined to support his fiance, Alec decided that he’d abstain from alcohol. Only, that whole plan goes out the window when Izzy and Jace drag Alec out to drink and it only seems to keep going down hill when Alec decides to call Magnus crying and drunk from the bar.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Favorite Malec Stories, The Malec Secret Santa - Edition 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Night Out</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/DAIOSTIEL/gifts">DAIOSTIEL</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is for the Malec Secret Santa 2020 fic event! To my giftee, I hope you like this! I debated for a while where to go with this but I tried to lean into the drunk fluff and though it's not post-wedding fluff, it is pre-wedding fluff. I hope you like it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After Magnus had declared his intent to stay away from alcohol, Alec had been determined to support his boyfriend and stay away from it too. He’d never liked alcohol that much anyway, so he assumed that it would be fairly easy to avoid drinking all together, like he had most of his life before Magnus. What Alec had failed to take into account was his siblings, more specifically, his siblings insisting that he had to go out to drink with them before he got married.</p><p>Alec had almost told them no but when he told Magnus about their offer, Magnus had smiled and told him that he should go. He said it was tradition or something and when Alec had complained about him getting to stay home while Alec had to go out, Magnus shook his head and said that was simply a perk of being an only child.</p><p>Now, Alec knew that technically warlocks could have siblings but he didn’t think it was quite the time to get into that just to prove a point. Besides, Alec knew he and Magnus were planning on taking some time off after their wedding. They were going to lock the door and let no one in at all. So, a chance to go hang out with his siblings before banishing them from contacting him or Magnus for some undefined amount of time didn’t sound all that bad. That was, until Alec realized that hanging out with his siblings meant hanging out with Clary and Simon too.</p><p>Now, Alec liked Clary and Simon. He really did. They’d grown on him. He liked that his siblings were happy with them and he liked that Clary kept Jace in line but when Clary and Simon were together, he had to admit that they bothered him a little bit. It didn’t help that Alec understood almost none of what they were talking about but still, Alec had thought it could be a good night. He’d have <em>a</em> drink and then he’d go home to his beautiful fiance and spend the rest of the night being the little spoon while he and Magnus watched that new show Magnus liked so much- the one Alec couldn’t stand but learned to enjoy anyway just because Magnus liked it.</p><p>It was a great plan, one that Alec had fully intended to stick to. That was, until Jace bought a round of shots and then another and then one more just to top it off. Shots didn’t really count as a drink, Alec figured. He couldn’t just down three shots in a matter of minutes and then run out the door to go to his soon to be husband. So, after that Alec had ordered his <em>one</em> drink and by the end of that one drink, he was too drunk to remember the plan he had in the first place- the one that got him home to his lover early.</p><p>Jace ordered him another drink after that and who was Alec to refuse it? That would be horribly rude and Alec was not rude that much anymore. He accepted Jace’s drink offer and when he was then pulled to the pool table, Alec couldn’t really say he was leaving until they finished the whole game, even if the game itself made Alec think of nothing but how pretty his fiance was and how fast his heart had beat in his chest when he and Magnus had stood here together so long ago.</p><p>Pool reminded him of Magnus. Alcohol that made his face scrunch up reminded him of Magnus. Clary and Simon talking about mundane movies reminded him of Magnus somehow. He just kept thinking that Magnus would know those movies and after a while, Alec found himself pressed into Clary’s side, lamenting to the smaller redhead about how perfect Magnus was and how truly, he couldn’t deserve him, could he? Clary insisted that he could and Simon jumped in to tell Alec that he and Magnus were perfect together. He even compared them to some fictional couple Alec didn’t know and wasn’t sure he wanted to be associated with but still, Alec found himself a little touched. He and Magnus <em>were</em> perfect together, weren’t they?</p><p>It wasn’t too long after that drunk Alec decided that he needed to call Magnus. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say to him, only that he needed to call him and he needed to hear his voice right now. Maybe, Alec had wanted to tell him about what Clary had said or maybe, he’d just desperately wanted to hear his voice but either way, it wasn’t until Magnus picked up the phone that Alec realized his mistake. It wasn’t until Magnus answered, his voice just as beautiful as Alec remembered, that Alec realized he was the worst fiance in the entire universe.</p><p>Magnus wasn’t drinking anymore, he remembered suddenly. He’d wanted to stay sober and Alec had been so determined to support him and do it too, so what had happened and what had possibly possessed Alec to get this drunk and then <em>call him</em>?</p><p>He couldn’t even hide it anymore or sleep at the institute so Magnus didn’t have to deal with him. The second Alec spoke, Magnus was going to know he was drunk. He was going to hear the slur in Alec’s words and the emotion in his voice and he was going to know exactly how horribly inconsiderate Alec was. So, Alec decided that he wouldn’t speak. He decided that he’d sit there in complete silence and maybe, Magnus would assume he’d called him on accident and hang up but when a soft sob broke through Alec’s lips before Alec could stop it, he thought it really gave away the fact that he was on the other end of the phone, listening.</p><p>At least, he assumed it did because it was only a matter of seconds before Magnus had asked if Alec was alright, portaled outside the bar and then been at Alec’s side, looking exceptionally confused as Alec clutched his phone tight and cried. Now, he really couldn’t hide it. Magnus could <em>see</em> him and Magnus was so smart. Magnus was the smartest person Alec knew. He’d created potions, invented portals and he’d studied quantum physics. There was no way Alec would ever convince him that he was anything but completely wasted right now and when he started crying even harder at the thought, Alec knew it really gave away the fact that he was loaded. Part of Alec knew that he wouldn’t be crying like this if he was sober and that he should try to stop but he just couldn’t. His thoughts were a mess, a mess of reminders that he had failed Magnus when he’d been so determined to stand by him and support him without ever needing to say it.</p><p>Magnus was touching him instantly. One of his hands was pressing so soft on Alec’s shoulder, his other hand gently trying to coax Alec’s wet face up until he could look down into his eyes. “Alexander, what happened?” Magnus asked, his face full of nothing but concern.</p><p>Alec was not one to <em>cry</em>. He’d only ever cried in front of Magnus when his siblings were hurt and even then, he only cried after he’d let it all build up so much that he was completely unable to contain it. He was not one to cry in a bar for no reason. Except, apparently drunk Alec was exactly that type of person.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Alec rushed out, not even sure if he was apologizing for being drunk, for crying or for Magnus having to come here to get him like he was a child. It was possible he was crying for all three.</p><p>Magnus’ painted fingers gently brushed Alec’s tears away, making tears flood Alec’s eyes once again. His touch was so gentle. He was so nice. He was so fucking pretty. Alec couldn’t believe that the man before him was in love with him and that this man loved him so much that he was willing to marry him when he’d never married anyone before. Even sober, the thought would have made Alec teary eyed. This man was going to be Alec’s <em>husband</em> and if there was ever a reason to drunk cry in a bar, it was that.</p><p>“Why are you sorry?” Magnus asked, a small smile flickering on his lips. Clearly, he’d recognized at some point that Alec wasn’t crying because something horrible had happened. Clary and Jace were sitting behind them, watching. Simon and Izzy were still across the bar. If something had happened, they would be concerned but they weren’t. Clearly, something horrible hadn’t happened in the time since Alec went out. He wasn’t crying because of anything that would normally make him cry. He was crying because he was drunk and that was a feeling that Magnus happened to know all too well.</p><p>Alec didn’t find anything about the situation very entertaining. Feeling his heart swell with love for Magnus only reminded him of exactly why he’d been crying in the first place. “I wasn’t going to drink,” Alec admitted softly, frowning into Magnus’ palm where Magnus was still holding him. Alec didn’t seem too inclined to lift his head from Magnus’ hand and let him have it back but Magnus didn’t seem too concerned with getting it back anyway.</p><p>Instantly, Magnus looked confused as he took in Alec’s words for the first time. “Why?”</p><p>Alec found himself frowning even harder into Magnus’ palm, struggling to get the words out of his mouth. He knew he was the <em>worst</em> fiance. Magnus just didn’t realize it yet. “You’re not drinking,” Alec managed out at last. “I was trying to support you. I wasn’t supposed to get drunk but Jace bought me a drink and then another drink and I was playing pool-” Alec’s words broke off and he found himself staring up at Magnus heartbroken, waiting for him to realize what he’d done.</p><p>Magnus’ eyes went wide as Alec rambled out his explanation. The moment he realized what Alec was trying to say, his expression melted. He stared at Alec like he was the most wonderful thing he’d ever seen but Alec didn’t see that. He was too busy convincing himself that Magnus was about to break up with him, call off the wedding, maybe even just tell him how disappointed in him he was, which would feel just as bad as any of those things.</p><p>“Alexander,” Magnus hushed softly, gently stroking his thumb across Alec’s cheek. “Just because I’m not drinking doesn’t mean you can’t. I’ve had <em>centuries</em> of drinking. You’ve gotten drunk what, twice?” Magnus cocked his head with the question but he knew the answer was yes. Alec had drank quite a few times but very rarely had he gotten as drunk as he was now.</p><p>Frowning, Alec nodded.</p><p>“Okay then. I never expected you to stay sober just because I am.” Magnus smiled and after a second, he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against Alec’s nose, making the man scrunch his face up in response.</p><p>For a moment, Alec stared, still uncomprehending of Magnus’ words. He’d been so convinced Magnus would be upset with him. He’d been so mad at himself. The thought of Magnus not caring was incomprehensible. The most important part of staying sober was having people around you who were willing to do it with you, not to tempt you and to support you instead. Yet, here was Alec sitting in a bar drunk, not even weeks after Magnus announced he intended to stay sober.</p><p>“It’s very sweet that you wanted to support me,” Magnus continued as he watched the gears turn in Alec’s head, his fiance visibly trying to make sense of what Magnus was saying and failing. “But it’s about time I have to tuck you into bed and not the other way around, hm?”</p><p>Instantly, Alec knew Magnus was talking about the night at the Institute, when Alec had intended to propose in the first place and Magnus had a drunken breakdown that ended in Alec holding him while he puked and then tucking him into bed.</p><p>“That was different,” Alec said instantly. Magnus had lost his magic, his apartment, <em>everything</em>. He’d been so upset. That was very different from Alec getting drunk for no reason other than the fact that his brother had encouraged him to do so. “I didn’t <em>want</em> to get drunk,” Alec continued, still desperate to try to explain. “I was going to come home tonight and spend time with you and now-” Alec broke off, not even able to finish his own sentence. Now, he was too drunk. Now, he and Magnus couldn’t relax together tonight. Alec would probably throw up or pass out and it was too late to take any of it back.</p><p>Instantly, Magnus was pressing a gentle kiss against Alec’s hair, moving closer to him to rub his back soothingly. “Darling, we’re spending time together now <em>and</em> I get to see you drunk. I’m certainly not upset about this turn of events. It’s a win-win for me.” Magnus pressed another kiss to Alec’s head, feeling his boyfriend curl into his touch. “You haven’t ruined anything,” Magnus murmured, somehow knowing the exact words to say to sooth all of Alec’s anxious thoughts. “Let’s get some water in you and then, maybe we can see how good you are at pool with a few drinks in you.”</p><p>Instantly, Alec perked up at that, peering up at Magnus’ face like he was trying to gauge if Magnus was really moving on that easily, if he was really forgiven. “I already played with Jace,” he announced, after he finally seemed to decide Magnus wasn’t mad. “I’m not good,” he continued unceremoniously.</p><p>Magnus pulled away laughing, keeping his arm around Alec’s shoulders as he waved for Maia to bring over some water for his very drunk fiance, who was now grinning at the sound of Magnus’ laugh like he’d managed to make a miracle happen.</p><p>“You’re sure you’re not upset?” Alec asked finally, after Magnus had already coaxed him into drinking a full glass of water.</p><p>“I’m not upset,” Magnus promised, leaning in to press a real kiss against Alec’s lips for the first time that night. “You’re quite adorable when you’re drinking, Alexander,” Magnus said as he reached out and gently pinched the side of Alec’s face, making the man scrunch his face up and prove Magnus’ previous point: <em>adorable</em>. “Even if you get all sappy.”</p><p>Alec leaned into Magnus’ hand again, though this time he didn’t leave Magnus’ palm soaked with tears. “You want to stay for a while?”Alec asked finally. “If you want to go home, I’ll go home too,” Alec promised.</p><p>For the first time since he’d portaled there, Magnus lifted his head and took his attention away from Alec to look around the bar they were in. Clary and Simon were huddled around the jukebox, arguing about what song to play next even though it seemed like they were playing the same song over and over again. Jace and Isabelle were sitting together, Alec’s drunken parabatai shouting something to Izzy about how he in fact could do a backflip over the table if he so pleased but he didn’t <em>want</em> to right now. Isabelle seemed to be insisting that it would be rude of him to do so but also insisting that she didn’t think he could do it at all, which was most likely going to end in Jace feeling the need to prove himself and try it.</p><p>Magnus looked back to Alec, unable to keep the soft smile off his face. Years ago, the thought of being in a bar all night unable to drink while everyone else did so would have seemed like torture to Magnus. Magnus used to make fun of Ragnor on the nights when he’d gone out with him and Catarina and chose to stay sober but right now, Magnus thought he understood.</p><p>Soon, he and Alec would be getting married and though Magnus was sure there would be many other nights they’d spend out with their family, this was one of the last chances they had to do it before they were husbands. Somehow, that felt significant and looking around at their friends and Magnus’ soon to be brother and sister in law, Magnus couldn’t think of a better way to spend the night.</p><p>Later, he would tuck his fiance into bed and in the morning, he was sure he’d be helping Alec nurse one of his first hangovers but tonight, Magnus would enjoy his drunk boyfriend for a little while longer. He didn’t think Alec would be drinking the night of their wedding. Magnus wouldn’t be mad if he did but he had the feeling that Alec would want to enjoy every second of that day without something dulling his senses, especially considering the long night they were planning on having.</p><p>It might be a while before Magnus got to see drunk Alec again and he was not going to let that go to waste. At the very least, he needed a few photos and at least one video before the night was over. “We can stay for a little while,” Magnus said as he reached out and grabbed the almost empty glass of water. “Why don’t you drink that and then we can go see what stupid decision your parabatai is talking about?”</p><p>Alec reached for the glass so hastily that he almost spilled it across his chest but Magnus didn’t even mind when he had to reach forward to help him. This adorable clumsy man was going to be his husband in a few short days and taking a glass from Alec’s hands, so he couldn’t drop it with his very well developed shadowhunter reflexes…. Well, it didn’t dampen Magnus’ mood at all.</p><p>Catarina had always said that if you could stand your partner when they were drunk and you weren't, that’s how you knew you were meant to be. Helping Alec walk to the table without stumbling over his lanky legs, Magnus had never felt more in love. Even when Alec threw up and Magnus had to declare that it was time they headed home- Magnus found that he couldn’t wait to marry this man.</p><p>Magnus didn’t need any more confirmation that he and Alec were meant to be but not being grossed out by his throw up was an amazing sign. Especially when Alec scrambled to apologize after, insisting that he hadn’t known he was about to throw up and declaring that like Magnus, he was never going to drink again.</p><p>Magnus loved him so much.</p>
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